An Ocala man is accused of attacking a woman in the bathroom, strangling her and swinging an iron at her, and holding her against her will during a recent domestic altercation.
Damien L. Washington, 40, of Locust Pass, was charged with domestic battery by strangulation, kidnapping/false imprisonment of an adult, and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill.
A Marion County sheriff’s deputy met with the victim at the Dollar General Store, 9743 S.E. Maricamp Road, where she fled to and called law enforcement after the incident. She told the deputy she was in the bathroom, in her room, playing a game on her phone and Washington was yelling at her from the bedside, according to the sheriff’s office report.
The victim said Washington walked into the bathroom, slapped the phone out of her hand and shoved her face between the toilet and the wall. She said when she stood up to defend herself while in the bathroom, Washington put his arm around her neck and impeded her airflow, the report said.
The victim said after Washington let her go, they walked from the bathroom into the bedroom, where he grabbed an iron and swung it at her, just missing her. She said she was in fear when Washington swung the iron at her. The victim said she tried to leave the bedroom several times, but Washington kept her from leaving by hitting her in the neck, according to the report.
The victim said Washington slammed her to the bed, still with his hands around her neck, and pinned her down. She said Washington told her he had nothing to lose, and that this was her last breath. The victim said he kept repeating, “I’ll kill you.” She said he had a scary look in his eyes when he was choking her, the report said.
The deputy observed a reddish palm-sized mark on the right side of the victim’s face, as well as thin red marks on her neck where she said Washington grabbed her. There were also dark purple marks on the victim’s arms and chest from where she said he grabbed her, according to the report.
Deputies found Washington at his mother’s house on S.E. 54th Lane. He said only a little bit of pushing happened because the victim pushed him first. Washington said he didn’t know anything about an iron, and when she wanted to leave, she left out the front door. The deputy did not observe any marks on Washington, the report said.
Washington was taken to the Marion County Jail, where he was released on $6,000 bond. He will appear in Marion County Court on Nov. 3.